Delhi High Court Slams Govt Over Delay In Online Marriage Registration for Muslims And Christians; Calls It ‘Systemic Failure’

The Delhi High Court has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Delhi government’s failure to implement online registration for marriages under Muslim and Christian personal laws, despite a court order issued three years ago. The court labeled this delay as a systemic failure and directed the government and its IT department to promptly enable marriage registration through the government’s online portal.

The judge highlighted that a previous bench had disposed of a related petition on October 4, 2021, based on assurances from the Delhi government to resolve the issues within two months. However, nearly three years later, no effective procedures for registration under the Marriage Registration Order, 2014, have been established, either online or offline, especially for marriages conducted under Muslim or Christian personal laws.

The court noted that this lack of infrastructure has caused significant hardships for couples seeking to fulfill legal requirements, such as obtaining visas or asserting rights dependent on official marriage recognition. Last year, the judge referred to a case involving a couple married under Muslim Personal Law in 1995, who faced obstacles in registering their marriage when applying for a parental visa to Canada for their children.

During the hearing, the court directed the authorities to address the couple’s registration application under the 2014 court order and issue them a marriage certificate without further delay. Additionally, the court emphasized the need for preventive measures to ensure such lapses do not recur in the future.